Remembering the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse
The August 2017 eclipse was the first with a path of totality
crossing the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the U.S. since 1918.
See photos from the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse
Overview
The August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse was a big deal for a number of reasons. This was the first total solar eclipse to touch the United States since the 1990s when one occurred on Hawaii, and the first to cover it coast-to-coast since 1918! The Moon’s shadow passed across the Pacific Ocean onto the coast of Oregon, and proceeded to fall across all of North America (as the Earth rotates), finally entering the Atlantic Ocean on the South Carolina border. Many called this the "Great American Eclipse."
Missouri
In Missouri the eclipse path started St. Joseph, passed over Columbia and Jefferson City, then moved onto De Soto, Perryville, Jackson, and finally headed into Illinois at Cape Girardeau. Unfortunately, the Moon's shadow was only 70 miles wide which meant that portions of St. Louis and Kansas City were not in the path of totality.